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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Call it a quarterback controversy or a competition. Whatever it is, the Texas Longhorns remain unsettled at the position heading into the 2012 season.

The Longhorns reported to training camp Sunday with David Ash and Case McCoy still fighting to take control of the offense after a rocky 2011 in which both started several games in an 8-5 season.

Texas could have the best defense in the Big 12 and has a stable of potentially punishing running backs. If they produce a legitimate passing game, the Longhorns could be back in contention for a conference title — and maybe more.

Ash would seem the likely frontrunner after leading Texas to a Holiday Bowl win over California, a solid performance that earned him the games' most valuable player honors. But coach Mack Brown has so far refused to name Ash the starter for the Sept. 1 season opener against Wyoming and insists there's a spirited competition for the position.

So what's holding Ash back?

"You're asking the wrong guy," Ash said Sunday. He and McCoy sat about 20 feet apart and each was surrounded by reporters asking about the competition, their summer workouts and how they've tried to improve their play.

Ash, who was 3-3 as a starter last season as a freshman, said he's been reading and studying how to be a better leader, yet struggled Sunday to define what it means to be one.

"What is leadership? I don't know. People say it's a lot of different things. When you come down to it, it's a real abstract term that has a different meaning to a lot of people."

McCoy, who was 3-2 as a starter, said he's more confident after putting on an extra 15 pounds to get up to 200 and bulking up in the weight room. McCoy said not playing in the Holiday Bowl was motivation to challenge Ash for the job this season.

Both players struggled badly at times last season as the Texas passing game floundered to eighth in the Big 12. Ash appeared to be a calm and steady personality but he struggled to grasp a complex college offense as a true freshman. McCoy, the younger brother of former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, showed flashes of his brother's playmaking brilliance, but his swashbuckling approach also led to some critical errors. McCoy's fourth-quarter scramble set up the game-winning field goal against Texas A&M and a week later he had five turnovers in a loss at Baylor.

McCoy, who will be a junior this season, admits he's got to cut out the mistakes if he hopes to play.

"I've matured. David's matured. That's going to show," McCoy said. "I'm a whole lot more confident."

McCoy's mistakes came in bunches, but Ash had his share with eight interceptions compared to just four touchdowns.

Brown said Sunday he expects both players will be better this season. After a summer of player-led workouts, Brown said who starts will be determined over the next couple of weeks in practices closed to the media and public.

Brown said he's in no hurry to declare a starter.

"When they make the decision for us, then we'll make it," Brown said. "I'm not panicked when it's done. The worst thing you can do is make a decision when it's not ready."

Brown is no stranger to quarterback controversies in his 15th season at Texas.

In 2000 and 2001, the Longhorn fan based was divided over his decision to start Chris Simms over Major Applewhite. In 2003-2004, Chance Mock was still battling Vince Young until Young took over the role for good and led the Longhorns to the 2005 national title.

After Young left, most assumed talented recruit Jevan Snead would take over but Colt McCoy emerged as the starter as a redshirt freshman and won 45 games over the next four seasons.

But in each of those cases, the Longhorns still won a lot of games because the battles were between players with elite talent. Since Colt McCoy left, Texas is just 13-12 over the last two seasons with two straight losing seasons in the Big 12.

"Everybody needs to help us get that position back," Brown said.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — After a conference-hopping journey that included two BCS games and three different league titles, TCU is finally where it always wanted to be.

The Horned Frogs are in the Big 12, the league they were left out of when the Southwest Conference broke up in the mid-1990s.

Now comes the real challenge.

"Our group has to understand, you have not arrived just because we got to the Big 12," coach Gary Patterson said. "Being in the Big 12 doesn't make you special. Winning makes you special. That's how we got back to this point — winning."

TCU has won 24 conference games in a row, winning the last three Mountain West titles outright without a league loss since November 2008. The Frogs have won 50 of their last 55 games overall, including a 13-0 season two years ago when they were Rose Bowl champions and finished No. 2 in the final AP poll.

UNLV and New Mexico are no longer part of the Frogs' conference schedule. Instead, they will now face on a regular basis the likes of Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia, like TCU a Big 12 newcomer that was a champion in a different conference the past two seasons.

"We have the talent, and we have the skill and the size to compete with any of those teams," quarterback Casey Pachall said. "It's just being able to deal with them week to week to week."

The Frogs are the only FBS team with six 11-win seasons the past seven years. They have won 16 of their last 20 games against teams from leagues with automatic bids into the Bowl Championship Series.

TCU plays its season opener Sept. 8 at home against Grambling State. The long-awaited Big 12 debut is the following week at Kansas.

Patterson has won 109 games in 11 seasons as TCU's coach, matching Dutch Meyer for the most victories in school history. Patterson reached that mark in 62 fewer games than the coach who led the Frogs to their only AP national championship in 1938.

This is the season TCU was supposed to be joining the Big East. That changed last October with an invitation to be part of the Big 12, the group the Frogs were excluded from before going to the WAC, Conference USA and finally the Mountain West.

"Everything we've done to this point is great. But now the real work starts," Patterson said. "It's another way we've got to keep climbing the mountain. The higher you get on a mountain, the thinner the air, the harder it is. So for us we're going to keep doing that."

After taking over for Andy Dalton, the winningest quarterback in TCU history, Pachall threw 25 touchdown passes and broke Dalton's single-season record with 2,921 yards as a sophomore. The Frogs averaged 440 yards and 41 points a game last season, when their only losses were 50-48 at Baylor in the opener against Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and an overtime loss at home against SMU.

Along with Pachall, two of their top three rushers and three of their top four receivers are back this season.

"We know what we can do, and we know we can put up a lot of numbers, and a lot of points," Pachall said.

Pachall won't miss any games after admitting to police in February that he smoked marijuana and failed a team-administered drug test. Patterson said the quarterback completed drug and alcohol counseling mandated by the university for first-time offenders.

The quarterback's admission came during an interview with police Feb. 15 when his roommate at the time, linebacker Tanner Brock, was one of four TCU players arrested with other students and former students during a drug sting. The police report containing details of Pachall's interview was released earlier this month.

Brock, defensive tackle D.J. Yendrey, cornerback Devin Johnson — all likely starters this season — and offensive lineman Tyler Horn were kicked off the team after their arrests. They pleaded guilty to marijuana delivery charges and received probation.

Pachall apologized publicly for his actions the day TCU players reported to start practice.

"I know I'm not perfect," Pachall said. "But I've learned from those mistakes and I'm still learning. It's a day-to-day process for me of trying to be a better person."

WACO, Texas (AP) — Nick Florence was impressive filling in for eventual Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III last season.

The Baylor Bears now need Florence for more than a half.

With RG3 gone after a record-setting career at Baylor that included 10 wins and a bowl victory last season, Florence is set to take over as the starting quarterback.

"We're not saying, 'Nick, we need you to be Robert.'... We wouldn't say that to anybody," coach Art Briles said. "We're going to let Nick be Nick, and Nick being Nick is good enough."

In his only game last season, after halftime against Texas Tech with Griffin sidelined with an apparent concussion, Florence completed 9 of 11 passes for 151 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a touchdown while the Bears scored 31 points to turn a tight game into a 66-42 victory.

That cost Florence a redshirt year. So instead of this year and next as Briles originally planned, Florence has only this season to be the starter.

Yet the senior quarterback, also the primary starter in 2009 as a freshman when Griffin tore ligaments in his knee, has no regrets about burning a full season of eligibility for that one half of football.

"I had the funnest half of football you could have," said Florence, who is in graduate school. "I have one year, all I can ask for is an opportunity to play, and I'm going to get that opportunity and I'm going to have fun with it, and take advantage of it."

Florence isn't alone in trying to prove that Baylor can keep winning without Griffin, now starting for the Washington Redskins after bypassing his senior season and being the second overall draft pick.

"This year I feel is the statement year," junior linebacker Ahmad Dixon said. "I understand that last year we made a statement, but this year, we have to prove to people that Baylor is never defined by one guy on the team, one star on the team. It's a team thing, and we applaud Robert for everything he did. But it's time now that we show people that we're not just a one-hit wonder."

Baylor plays its first game in the post-RG3 era Sept. 2 at home against SMU.

The Bears go into the season with a six-game winning streak. Northern Illinois (nine games) and new Big 12 foe TCU (eight games) are the only FBS teams with longer active streaks.

"They have us picked to finish seventh (in the Big 12). ... That's just more motivation," senior receiver Terrance Williams said. "We just see that we can show them better than we can tell them. So that's basically what we're trying to do."

Griffin was one of five offensive starters drafted by NFL teams last spring. The others were big-play receiver Kendall Wright (108 catches, 1,663 yards and 14 TDs), running back Terrance Ganaway (1,547 yards rushing and 21 TDs), center Philip Blake and offensive lineman Robert T. Griffin. The Bears set 101 offensive records last season, when they averaged 587 total yards and 45 points a game.

In 2010, the Bears won seven games and ended a 16-year bowl drought with their first winning season as a Big 12 team. They followed that by matching the team record of 10 wins set during Mike Singletary's senior season in 1980, and got their first bowl victory in 19 years.

"Can they maintain what they did last year was actually asked of us last year after we got to a bowl game for the first time in a long time," Briles said. "They were saying can (Baylor) sustain again and win in '11. The answer was yes."

And they expect to have the same answer when this season is done.

Williams, who had the game-winning touchdown catch in the closing seconds last November in Baylor's first-ever victory over Oklahoma, is the top returning receiver (59 catches, 957 yards, 11 TDs). The Bears also have playmakers Tevin Reese (51-877-7) and Lanear Sampson (42-572-3).

After different 1,000-yard rushers each of the last two seasons, Jarred Salubi gets his chance as Baylor's primary back. Glasco Martin also has experience with the Bears, and Oregon transfer Lache Seastrunk is eligible to play after having to sit out last season.

"This isn't a one-man show, and it wasn't last year either," Florence said. "We've got a lot of guys returning and we've got a lot of weapons on offense. So I'm just going to get the ball in their hands, and I'll make plays when I need to make plays, but I'm going to let them to do their thing."

HOUSTON (AP) — The city of Houston wants to become a part of college football's playoff system.

Houston submitted a bid on Tuesday to host the new Big 12-Southeastern Conference bowl and join the rotation for semifinal games in the sport's new postseason format, which begins in the 2014 season.

The champions of the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference or replacement teams from those leagues would meet in the bowl game, at least temporarily dubbed the Champions Bowl. The game would be played at Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

Cotton Bowl organizers have also expressed interest in being part of the playoff rotation and hosting the title game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, as have officials from the Chick-fil-a Bowl in Atlanta.

Reliant Stadium has hosted a bowl game — currently the Meineke Car Care Bowl — since 2006. The venue, which also has a retractable roof, was the site of the 2004 Super Bowl and the 2011 Final Four. It is slated to host the Final Four again in 2016.

"We're really honored and very proud of the bid that we've put forth," said Heather Houston, the executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl. "We feel like it'll stack up against any other market. We've got the strongest local economy, a beautiful facility here at Reliant Stadium, and also an avid college sports base; and of course the proven track record of hosting successful events such as the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and, of course, the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas."

The bid is for 12 years, Houston said, and the goal is for the city to land one of the semifinal games in four of those years. The deadline for cities to submit bids is Wednesday, she said.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl has drawn high attendance the past three years. Last season, a crowd of 68,395 watched Texas A&M defeat Northwestern.

"I feel like our market weighs heavily in their minds," Houston said. "Both of those conferences have said over and over again that they want to be in Houston, and they've seen that we have a proven track record of hosting a really successful bowl game now and big-time sporting events here. We feel like, again, our bid will stack up against New Orleans' and Arlington's and the rest of the cities that will be bidding on this as well."

Houston said league officials set no timeline on deciding which cities would host the playoff games.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Times are changing in the Big 12.

A new commissioner, two new schools and a batch of new starting quarterbacks bring a distinctly different flavor to the conference this season after a period of turmoil when one-third of the original members left.

Big East champion West Virginia and Mountain West champ TCU will at least partially fill the void left by Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M scattering to other leagues.

Exactly who will take over the superstar roles filled by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and fellow first-round NFL draft picks Justin Blackmon, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Kendall Wright remains to be seen.

It all makes for an unpredictable season. But can it be a great one?

"We don't want the SEC to win another national championship," new commissioner Bob Bowlsby proclaimed Monday during a stop on Oklahoma's campus.

"We think the University of Oklahoma can compete at that level and have a chance, and we think there are several others this year that can do similar."

Defending conference champion Oklahoma State (Wes Lunt), Baylor (Nick Florence) and Kansas (Dayne Crist) will all be breaking in new quarterbacks. And although they're not new to starting college football games, West Virginia's Geno Smith and TCU's Casey Pachall will be new to the Big 12 and trying to continue their championship-winning ways.

"When you're going into a new conference, a new landscape, it's all about finding a way to win," said TCU coach Gary Patterson, who'll wait an extra week to make his Big 12 debut Sept. 8 against Grambling State.

"We've had this plan before. This is not the first time we've changed conferences."

Patterson's Horned Frogs are rejoining some former Southwest Conference foes after hopscotching to the WAC, Conference USA and Mountain West.

"You've just got to keep growing up. That's what good programs do, and that's what we intend to do here," Patterson said. "It's not going to be a sprint. It's three to five years, and then over the course of 10 years, how do we get as a program as we keep recruiting to the Big 12 to become what we need to become?"

Whoever can overcome all of the changes the best will be crowned the champion in December.

Oklahoma State is attempting to get there with Lunt, who's just out of high school, taking over for the 28-year old Weeden. Yet coach Mike Gundy says the Cowboys won't be changing their offense up — or relying heavily on the run — to ease Lunt into the college game.

"There'll be mistakes, growing pains," said Gundy, whose Cowboys open the season Saturday against Savannah State.

"We had them with Brandon Weeden here, and he had been in practice and was obviously very mature with his age. ... He'll make mistakes just like any other young player, and you go with it and you keep playing."

Kansas, which didn't win a single conference game last season, is turning to the former Notre Dame connection of Crist and coach Charlie Weis. Weis was brought in to replace Turner Gill, who was fired after two losing seasons, and said his players have been through a "pretty grueling offseason" to try and improve.

"I think they're really looking forward to showing everyone they're not as bad as they were," Weis said.

Bowlsby believes there's depth in the Big 12 from top to bottom that can help the conference build on its reputation.

"I think the thing that makes a great conference is great competition every time you take the playing surface," he said.

The league has been dumped on at times over the past two years as longtime members have headed toward the door. Bowlsby believes there is stability ahead as he tries to conclude negotiations on a television contract worth as much as $2.6 billion, along with a written agreement among the 10 schools to give their grant of rights to the conference.

The latter part of that deal would be as close as the league can come to ensuring that no more schools will leave, since they would have to forfeit millions upon millions of TV dollars to do so.

"There are no real stumbling blocks. It's a matter of just fine-tuning the wording and some things like that. I think the grant of rights will fall into place almost automatically," said University of Oklahoma President David Boren, seated next to Bowlsby.

If Bowlsby can complete that, it might finally be time for the change to slow down for a while and for the conference to get back to talking about championships instead of its possible extinction.

"What enhances athletic reputation? Winning," Bowlsby said. "And it isn't just winning conference championships. It's having our conference champion go on and win national championships. We're going to do that. We've had a rich tradition of it, and we're going to continue to do it."

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — David Ash never doubted he would be the starting quarterback at No. 15 Texas.

Now that he has won the job, the challenge is keeping it beyond Saturday's season-opener against Wyoming.

Ash, who rotated last season with Case McCoy, won the preseason battle to take over the job without an "or" between their names on the depth chart. Coach Mack Brown announced the decision last week and Ash met with reporters Monday.

"I expected it," Ash said. "I worked really hard. The coaches have given me a shot. That's all you can really ask for."

Ash still has a lot to prove on the field.

He was 3-3 as a freshman starter last season with just four touchdown passes and eight interceptions. His completion rate was under 58 percent and Texas ranked 86th nationally in passing.

Ash seemed to be asserting himself as the Longhorns' No. 1 when he played every snap of Texas' Holiday Bowl win over California. Ash was named the most valuable player of the game after passing for one touchdown, catching another and not committing any turnovers.

But even with that game under this belt, Texas opened their 2012 training camp with Brown refusing to name a starter and he insisted McCoy was battling Ash for the job. Despite the competition, Ash said his confidence has grown as he's matured and had more time to learn just how to be a college quarterback.

"I can play football," Ash said. "I can play quarterback as good as anybody else."

Some of his teammates said Monday they thought the competition was close until Brown announced Ash was No. 1.

"For me, it was a tossup," linebacker Jordan Hicks said. "We had no clue."

McCoy, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, could still get playing time against Wyoming. Brown said McCoy and Ash are friends but Ash revealed little about their relationship.

Ash said both wanted whatever is best for the team. When asked if he said anything to McCoy after the decision, Ash said, "Um, not really."

Ash knows his play will be the focus of a lot of scrutiny. The Longhorns expect to have one of the best defenses and running games in the Big 12. Even a decent passing game could be the difference between another mediocre season and one where Texas again competes for the league championship.

Texas went Texas went 69-9 from 2004-2009, won two Big 12 titles and appeared in two national championship games behind Vince Young and Colt McCoy. The Longhorns are just 13-12 over the last two seasons, including a paltry 6-11 in Big 12 play.

Brown will have to hope Ash is developing into the quarterback the Longhorns need.

"The concern we had with David last year was he tried to make every play," Brown said.

Now he's making better decisions when reading defense and finding his escape routes, such as pulling back a deep pass into coverage to complete a shorter one.

"Trust your other players,' Brown said. "Drop it off to the back in the flat. He may score."

PHOENIX (AP) — College football is in for some big and, some say, much-needed changes with the switch to a four-team playoff.

Before we get to that, there's still a couple more seasons under the current system; the playoffs don't begin until 2014.

And this one will be worth watching.

There's plenty of interesting story lines, from Penn State trying to rebuild in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal to Urban Meyer's return to coaching with Ohio State.

There's no shortage of great players, either.

Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley skipped the NFL for the chance at a national title, Michigan's Denard Robinson is a blur even without his shoelaces tied and Wisconsin's Montee Ball is like trying to tackle a wrecking ball.

Great teams? Could be a few of those, too. USC, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon — the BCS could be under a lot of strain this season with those teams all bidding for No. 1.

So to get you ready, we've got a rundown of some of the things to watch out for this season.

Enjoy.

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TOP TEAMS

USC. Barkley is back. So is his top target, Robert Woods. Former Penn State running back Silas Redd was a nice addition. Postseason eligible again, the Trojans aren't aiming for just any bowl; they want a trip to Miami and national championship.

Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won two of the past three national championships. They figure to be contenders for another.

LSU. The Honey Badger is gone. All those other NFL prospects — such as defensive end Sam Montgomery and safety Eric Reid — should keep the Tigers from missing him.

Oklahoma. The Sooners have a record-setting QB in Landry Jones, a brick wall of an offensive line and with the return of Mike Stoops, Bob's feisty little brother, they should be good on defense, too.

Oregon. LaMichael James and Darron Thomas are gone? Big deal. The Ducks have plenty of other players who can fly in those new winged unis.

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KEEP AN EYE ON

Arkansas. QB Tyler Wilson and RB Knile Davis are back, coach John L. Smith has calmed the storm after Bobby Petrino's motorcycle crash and subsequent firing. All Arkansas has to do now is get by Alabama and LSU — its only two losses a year ago — which isn't as farfetched as you might think. Both visit the Natural state, one early (Alabama on Sept. 15) the other late (LSU the day after Thanksgiving)

Florida State. The Seminoles' return to prominence has been rumored for years. Under coach Jimbo Fisher, it may actually happen this season.

Wisconsin. The Badgers are hungry after consecutive Rose Bowl losses and they have Ball, one of the nation's best running backs.

Michigan State. Behind RB Le'Veon Bell, the Spartans could be on the verge of breaking a Rose Bowl drought that goes back to 1988.

Texas. Mack Brown's crew appears to be headed back to the big stage behind a helmet-rattling defense.

West Virginia. The Mountaineers could make their first season in the Big 12 championship worthy.

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TOP PLAYERS

Barkley, USC. Projected as a high NFL draft pick, Barkley became an instant Heisman Trophy front-runner when he announced he was coming back for his senior season.

Ball, Wisconsin. The Badgers' star running back changed the pronunciation of his name from Mon-tee to Mon-tay. Whatever you call him, dude's good.

Robinson, Michigan. The Wolverines' electric quarterback has churned out more than 8,000 yards in his career, most of those the past two seasons. Imagine what he could do if he tied his shoes.

Geno Smith, West Virginia. The Mountaineers' QB set multiple school records as a junior and more could be on the way in his final season in Charleston.

Barkevious Mingo, LSU. Been known to train wreck offensive linemen.

Jones, Oklahoma. He's been around since Barry Switzer was coach. OK, maybe not that long, but the four-year starter will leave as the most prolific passer in OU history.

De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon. Spectacular as a freshman last season and will likely get more touches this season now that James is in the NFL.

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina. Back from a torn ACL last season, he should be one of the nation's top running backs this year.

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BIG GAMES

Sept. 1, Michigan vs. Alabama at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas. The annual opener at Jerry Jones' funhouse has had some great matchups in the past. This one could be the best of the bunch.

Sept. 15, Alabama at Arkansas. Winner could get the inside track on a national-title run.

Sept. 22, Michigan at Notre Dame. Last season's epic finish makes this a must-watch.

Oct. 13, Oklahoma vs. Texas in Dallas. The Red River rivalry continues after all the conference shuffling and could become epic again with these two teams on the rise.

Oct. 27, Notre Dame at Oklahoma. A rare meeting between power programs.

Nov. 3, Alabama at LSU. We may not get sucked into calling it the Game of the Century again, but it still figures to have national-title implications.

Nov. 3, Oregon at USC. Triple digits in combined points is a possibility with all those playmakers on the field.

Nov. 24, Michigan at Ohio State. Meyer is running the Buckeyes and Michigan appears to be back. This rivalry could be heating back up.

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THE NEW GUYS

There was quite a bit of turnover in the coaching ranks over the offseason, with some pretty big names landing in new places. Here's a few:

Bob Davie, New Mexico. Away from coaching for a decade, Davie tries to turn around a program plagued by embarrassments on and off the field under Mike Locksley.

Todd Graham, Arizona State. The fast-talking Texan has done everything right in Tempe so far, soothing concerns about bouncing around while building excitement for the program. All that's left is to win some games.

Mike Leach, Washington State. His offenses are always entertaining. So's his mouth.

Meyer, Ohio State. Burned out no more, the two-time national champion coach returns to the sideline with one of the country's premier programs — and too many references to an Urban renewal.

Bill O'Brien, Penn State. The former o-coordinator of the New England Patriots might have the toughest job in the country.

Rich Rodriguez, Arizona. RichRod's three-year run at Michigan didn't go so well, but he has Tucson buzzing about football again with his suped-up offense.

Smith, Arkansas. The Razorbacks needed someone to smooth over the ugliness of Bobby Petrino's firing. The even-keel Smith should be a good fit.

Charlie Weis, Kansas. Weis' first stint as a head coach petered out at Notre Dame. The Jayhawks are hoping he can turn around a program that languished under Turner Gill.

Follow John Marshall on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jmarshallap